Cemex Renews Turtle Protection Management Scheme at Former French Quarry Site

Cemex has renewed an agreement with the Sepanso Landes environmental group to manage the restoration of a former quarry site in France. The agreement was put in place in 2006 when an area of the Labatut site, known as the ‘Passage’, was found to home a population of European pond turtles. The turtles have become a protected species following a decline in numbers in the latter half of the twentieth century. The site was managed in order to encourage the population of turtles to flourish and a standard monitoring system was introduced. Industrial activity in the ‘Passage’ ceased in 2009.

Boris Nito, Cemex Director for Environment and Land for the Southwest Regions of France said: “Cemex and Sepanso Landes have constantly collaborated to define and implement the best compromise possible. We are particularly satisfied with the agreement reached with Sepanso Landes for the restoration of the site known as the ‘Passage’ and thus to be contributing to the maintenance and development of biodiversity in our region.”

The project forms part of Cemex’s aim of implementing rehabilitation plans at all of their sites by 2015. Currently, 85% of the company’s active cement and aggregates sites have such plans in place.